The Ratcatcher, plate 7 from "Cries of Paris" (Les Cris de Paris)
"A noble gentleman who in combat made the whole earth tremble,
Through a misfortune of war goes crying death to rats."
Bosse, who wrote a treatise on etching based on the innovations of Jacq"ues Callot-with whom he had worked-and who developed a new means of perspective construction that he taught in the French Royal Academy for over a decade, is best known for his numerous prints of everyday Parisian life. In his series of twelve itinerant tradesmen, the crisp and controlled etched line and the precisely defined spatial settings lend polish to the figures, even to the ragged, peg-legged rat catcher.
Through a misfortune of war goes crying death to rats."
Bosse, who wrote a treatise on etching based on the innovations of Jacq"ues Callot-with whom he had worked-and who developed a new means of perspective construction that he taught in the French Royal Academy for over a decade, is best known for his numerous prints of everyday Parisian life. In his series of twelve itinerant tradesmen, the crisp and controlled etched line and the precisely defined spatial settings lend polish to the figures, even to the ragged, peg-legged rat catcher.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Ratcatcher, plate 7 from "Cries of Paris" (Les Cris de Paris)
- Series/Portfolio: Cries of Paris (Les Cris de Paris)
- Artist: Abraham Bosse (French, Tours 1602/04–1676 Paris)
- Date: 1632–33
- Medium: Etching; second state of two
- Dimensions: Sheet: 8 9/16 × 5 7/8 in. (21.8 × 14.9 cm)
Plate: 8 3/8 x 5 11/16 in. (21.3 x 14.4 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
- Object Number: 60.634.53
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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